Working in Romania
Labor Ministry develops new rules to combat harassment at work
Sorin Iordan, 13.02.2025, 14:00
The Romanian Labor Ministry has developed new rules to combat harassment at work. According to a draft law subject to public debate, employers are to be obliged not only to take measures to prevent such cases, but also to ensure paid time off or remote work conditions for those whose life or health were put at risk by such incidents. According to the new rules, harassment is punishable even if it is manifested on the employees’ communication networks, email or WhatsApp, during work trips or in rest areas provided by the employer. The statement of reasons states that harassment is often used by companies themselves to force employees to work unpaid overtime, work to exhaustion or accept disadvantageous working conditions. The changes will be introduced in the Labor Code, and fines for non-compliance with the new provisions can reach up to 10,000 lei.
Almost 2,800 foreign citizens are in the records of the Hunedoara Immigration Office, the institution reports. More than two thirds of them come from the Republic of Moldova, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and the rest from European Union countries, the majority from Italy, Germany, Austria and the Swiss Confederation. Chief Police Inspector Ciprian Mihuţ, from the Hunedoara Immigration Office, showed that the main purposes for which foreigners settled in Romania are employment and family reunification. Foreign citizens are mostly employed as unskilled workers in construction, and others work in the hospitality field. Ciprian Mihuţ also said that, in relation to combating the illegal stay of foreigners in the country, the Immigration police undertook 25 checks last year, as a result of which eight people were detected in illegal situations. Also, five return decisions were issued with a deadline for voluntary departure from the territory of Romania, two of which were for illegal stay, and three following the cancellation of the right of stay or the revocation of the entry visa. Following the issuance of return decisions, two foreigners will no longer be able to enter the territory of the member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation, for periods between 3 and 6 months.
In 2024, in Prahova county, in the south of Romania, there were requests for about 7,000 jobs for the labor force from the non-European space, said the director of the County Employment Agency, Cristina Stoichici. According to her, last year’s workforce crisis will persist in 2025, which is precisely why employers in the county are turning to this form of recruitment. Regarding jobs, the head of the Prahova County Employment Agency stated that, at this moment, there are 1,395 vacancies in the county. Most are available in fields such as constructions – 128, manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment for motor vehicles – 100, protection and security activities – 84, manufacture of other electrical equipment – 61, manufacture of bread and pastry products – 60, restaurants – 55, trade – 53, road transport of goods – 45, hotels and other accommodation facilities – 34. The unemployment rate recorded in Prahova is 2.49%.
Romania is one of the preferred countries for German companies, shows a report drafted by the accounting firm KPMG and the Committee for Economic Relations in Eastern Europe. The report notes that one in five German companies interviewed intends to relocate production processes to Eastern Europe. Also, at least half of the companies expect the region to become more and more relevant from an economic point of view by 2030. Poland, the largest economy in this part of the continent, remains the preferred investment destination of 51% of German companies, followed by Romania, with 43% and Ukraine, with 41%. The most important factors for investment decisions are domestic demand, availability of skilled workers and relatively low labor costs. However, the German businessmen point out that, in addition to these advantages, German companies also take into account political risks, lack of security and the high level of corruption in Eastern Europe. 133 German companies with businesses in Central and Eastern Europe participated in this study. (LS)
